Posted 17 March 2014 - 09:50 AM

That list should be called top 10 most Influential/Popular drummers because they are good drummers and they had a huge impact on the music industry due to their success but, any drummer will definitely disagree that they are the best in technique and actual drumming.

One of the best drummers I have seen recently is Damien Schmitt, my teacher posted this video and I was blown away. I recommend to look for his solos to see him on his full "performance"

People always rave about Jimmy Pageâ€™s searing solos and Robert Plantâ€™s soul searching lyrics, but people often forget to credit one of rockâ€™s best rhythm sections of all time. Alongside bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, John Bonham fundamentally helped shape the sound of rock and roll drums, period. His feel was right on the money, and his solos are still used as a benchmark to measure a drummerâ€™s chops. Just check out his skills on the instrumental track â€œMoby Dickâ€ for confirmation.

2. KEITH MOON - THE WHO

Keith oozed rock and roll. This is the guy who blew up every hotel room toilet he could get his hands on, and the crazy pranksterâ€™s personality was backed up by drumming skills that never quit. The dude was one of the rare drummers who could play a riff that both sounded simple and was loudly impressive at the same time. Just check out this clip of â€œWho Are Youâ€ for proof. A major bonus is Keithâ€™s killer drumming face.

3. STEWART COPELAND - THE POLICE

The Police brought a bouncy reggae vibe to rock and roll with their sound from down under. For that, we can give a large thanks to Stewart Copeland, who made really creative and complicated drum patterns sound stupid easy. Even on smash pop hits like â€œRoxanne,â€ heâ€™s doing awesome work that has a jazzy feel yet still has the forward movement of rock drumming.

4. GINGER BAKER - CREAM

Ginger Baker, drummer for blues-rock legendary band Cream, was famous for his showy, bluesy style. In fact, heâ€™s widely considered to be rock and rollâ€™s first superstar drummer with Allmusic even mentioning that â€œevery drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed sinceâ€ has tried to emulate his playing. He was also the first drummer to use two bass drums instead of one, allowing him to play faster kick patterns, and popularized the â€œflamâ€ or hitting the snare with both sticks.

5. ?UESTLOVE

Amir â€œ?uestloveâ€ Thomson is a busy man. This human encyclopedia of music history, and drummer and bandleader for The Roots is not only is an outspoken promoter of up-and-coming and under appreciated artists, but he still kills the kit. You can see him nightly on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon drumming with The Roots as well as with musical guests from time to time. This cosmopolitan dude has a pocket feel that you only get from a R&B or hip-hop background, but still manages to incorporate jazz and rock styles whenever necessary.

6. DAVE GROHL - NIRVANA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FOO FIGHTERS

Before Dave Grohl was fronting the nuclear powered Foo Fighters, he gained legendary status as the hardest hitting drummer around playing in Nirvana. Grohl brought his skills back on the Queens of the Stone Age album, Songs For The Deaf, once again lending his freight train drumming skills to helping make his second decade defining rock album.

7. CHAD SMITH â€“ RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Musicians will often tell you that a rhythm section can make or break a band. Well, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is no exception. With a start in early â€˜90s Los Angeles, Chad played a unique hard-hitting and unrelenting blend of metal and funk drums. No one has yet to match his penchant for a furious groove, and almost 30 years later, Smith and bassist Flea still rock harder than almost anyone else.

8. NEIL PEART - RUSH

Rush has some seriously diehard fanatics, and for good reason. They are insanely talented musicians, not least of which is Neil Peart. Influenced by everyone from Keith Moon to Billy Cobham to Big Band music, Peart brought an educated understanding of drumming history to his seminal prog-rock band. Not only did Peart totally demolish songs with his turn-on-a-dime heavy drumming, but he also is the main lyricist for Rush, so the dude even has serious writing chops.

9. DAVE LOMBARDO - SLAYER

As a founding member of Slayer, Dave Lombardo has had a major hand in shaping the faster forms of metal today. His feel for groove is well appreciated in the metal world, perhaps coming from his Cuban American heritage. Carrying Ginger Bakerâ€™s legacy of the double bass drum to new heights, the dude is also known to be one of the most innovative, not to mention the fastest, drummers in metal history.

10. TONY ALLEN - LEADER OF FELA KUTIâ€™S AFRICA â€˜70

The godfather of afrobeat rhythm, Tony Allen is admired by countless American musicians who he turned on to West African rhythms and styles. As the unofficial music director for the father of afropop, Fela Kuti, they toured the world with their blend of Western pop melodic sensibilities and complex Nigerian and West African rhythms. He later went on to incorporate other styles of music like hip-hop and dub into his playing. We could definitely have an extended Youtube viewing session of this guy playing.

I think Neil Peart should be higher on that list. A good list nonetheless.